No expense was spared for the new hall, which opened last September. According to McKenna, when it came sound quality, there was no compromise, and it’s reflected in every performance.

“Musicians are inspired in this hall because they sound great, so they like it, and they do better, because they are so comfortable,” McKenna said.

Every bit of Koerner Hall’s construction was done with acoustics in mind, from the “shoebox” shape to the “flipper walls” for the drapes, to the veil that comes up behind the stage. McKenna also experimented with strings to amplify the sound quality even more.

A big thing for the performers, though, according to McKenna, is being able to hear each other clearly.

“(In) a lot of halls, they might sound good in the hall, but the musicians can’t hear each other,” she said, adding that the result is reflected in every performance.

McKenna equates the musician’s confidence to if one is getting ready to go out. “It’s like when you think you look good and you head out, you think ‘I’m going to have a good time tonight,’” she said. “I think the audience feels that, and I think the anticipation is palpable.”

McKenna says that there is also a feeling within the hall that is rarely found anywhere else: the feeling of togetherness, and lack of formality. It is because of this that she likes to go to shows at Koerner Hall.

“I love going also because it’s created a sense of community within the hall, so every time there’s 1’000 people in there, the 1’000 people kind of relate to each other,” she said.